My name is Dale Silva, Founder of Injured Biker Project. I have been riding motorcycles since 1982 and, over the years, I had my share of minor accidents. I can honestly say that none of them were my fault.

But on October 3, 2024, that “minor accident” reality changed in an instant. I was on my way home from a Harley-Davidson dealership event, only about five miles from home, and decided to stop at a store.

I moved into the center left-turn lane and came to a complete stop, waiting for traffic to clear so I could turn into the parking lot. What I did not know at that moment was that a young driver delivering for DoorDash was traveling toward me in the oncoming lanes at 45 mph.

He had missed his stop and was in a hurry to complete his delivery. Seeing an opening in the center lane between two stopped cars, he accelerated to over 50 mph—and that is where he met me head-on in the common turn lane.

The impact was devastating. My motorcycle was totaled, and so was his car.

My injuries were extensive: a broken right ankle, seven broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a shattered wrist, internal bleeding, and a pelvis separated by 5½ inches.

I was rushed to the trauma center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where I spent 19 days before being released to recover at home.

I then spent two and a half months in rehabilitation before I was finally able to walk on my own again.

Through it all, I know God was with me. Time and again, I was told that my recovery was beyond the norm—that I was incredibly blessed.

But the true purpose of this story is not the accident itself. It is the vision that came from it.

I now understand firsthand what it means to endure a tragic, life-threatening accident. I know the pain, the uncertainty, and the overwhelming challenges that both victims and their families face in times of crisis.

That is why I started the Injured Biker Project. Its purpose is to fill the gaps that others often overlook—to provide the immediate help that my family and I needed during our darkest days: financial assistance, practical support, and spiritual encouragement.